Maybe this is something I worry about more than I should, but I think a lot about the kinds of shows my kids watch. Because that stuff does influence them. For the parents out there, I had an idea to start a thread where we can list kids shows that are solid choices for us as leftist parents. I'm not expecting some cartoon characters to start discussing dialectical materialism. But I'm thinking shows that highlight values like empathy, community, etc. I would also include shows that simply avoid a lot of capitalist bullshit or cop worship (hard to avoid that one in kids shows, surprisingly). Also, we can use this thread to list shows we think kids should avoid.
Some of them that I came up with:
Mister Rogers Neighborhood - Fred Rodgers, while I don't think he was explicitly a leftist, really did seem to focus on really good things. Might be hard to get kids interested in a show that looks as old as this one, but it's honestly pretty great.
The Joy of Painting - Just a chill dude painting landscapes. Wouldn't think of this as a kids show but my kids loves it. I have friends with kids who say the same thing, too.
Eleanor Wonders Why - I like this one because the titular character observes the world around her and then wants to use science to explain what's going on. Just like our boy Karl Marx!
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood - In general I think PBS does a good job in most their shows of not promoting capitalism or bourgeois values. Daniel lives in a neighborhood that doesn't have the obligatory "good cop" in it, which is good enough for me. Overall seems solid.
Bluey - this show is pretty great, I love it. However, keep in there's one episode that's devoted entirely to troop bootlicking (really gross for a kids show), so just skip that one and you're good.
Doc McStuffins - this show is ok but I'm recommending it because the lead character is POC, and even in 2021 I'm kinda surprised by how many shows still feel they need a white lead character with POC characters off to the side.
And a show I'd recommend against is Paw Patrol, I think for obvious reasons. I'll stop here and then add more in the comments as I think of them. Please share yours!
I sat mine in front of a computer at age 2, typed "joker frozen barney hulk" into youtube, and walked away. Came back when they were old enough to work and they're the most well-behaved kids you could ever hope to raise. They don't even speak.
Hey Arnold is a work of art. It's on Hulu I think. I've rewatched it a few times in the last couple years, and I'm always blown away by how good it is. In one of the first episodes, Arnold's Grandma helps him break into the city aquarium and set the giant sea turtle free
Steven Universe. Very strong on LGBTQ representation and just accepting people as they are in general. I don't have kids but even as an adult it's interesting enough I watch it as a comfort show when I'm feeling down.
As a heads up I do remember hearing claims of apologetics for the shows version of fash at the end but I have no real conception of how true this is.
It's liberal idealism more than anything else. They just convince the genocidal imperialists of the error of their ways by pointing out that they're sad and then they voluntarily dissolve their empire. Naive and moronic, yes, but "fascist apologetics" is a bit of a reach.
It has a lot of other stuff going for it, though.
It's not like they say the fash were doing the right thing, and given that they were a bunch of emotionally unstable beings with godlike power compared to the rest of their species it makes sense the diamonds were kinda messed up. So they get off light with just being forced to apologize and work on themselves but honestly what else is a children's show going to do?
I think it is more realistic. In the revolution that overthrows the fash they are given positions as caretakers. So kinda how china made the last emporer a gardener.
It is emltionally unsatisfying to not see them punished, but it is worth it to see a revolutiom happen
Also it was very clearly written by people who grew up fans of Scooby Doo
70s sesame street is wild. Dunno about the modern stuff but the old shit is great.
The episode of Rugrats “Angelica’s Last Stand” taught me what a strike was when I was young. I haven’t watched it in a while, but I remember it being pretty anti-boss.
On pbs kids i really like the show Molly of Denali, about a native Alaskan girl. The episodes sometimes tackle issues such as discrimination more directly/less heavy-handed than other shows. And i think most of the cast/crew are native american/alaskan as well, so it feels very sincere and genuine. They even briefly mentioned the canadian boarding schools in an episode, which i was surprised to hear mentioned in a kids show.
I basically have the pbs kids channel on 24/7, and while passively watching I haven’t really noticed any capitalist/cop worship type content, but it’s possible ive missed it
And if you dont get the pbs kids channel with an antennae or cable, i think it’s streaming free on their website. I think the best part is no commercials. I was at my parents’ place during thanksgiving and turned on nickelodeon, and I forgot how aggressive kid’s commercials are
Oh yeah Molly of Denali is pretty great. And I'd agree, pretty safe to just leave it on PBS Kids.
My mother insists the reason I’m a leftist is because she let me watch Captain Planet and the Planeteers so much as a child. I’m not particularly confident that has aged well though.
When I think of the shows I really loved, they tended to be history or art based. Horrible Histories seems like a good bet based on that.
EDIT thinking more, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra seem good ideas too. I also remember Recess being surprisingly left wing when I rewatched it, but I was a heroin addict at the time and don’t remember it well so I could be over estimating that.
I didn't watch every Recess episode growing up, but I distinctly remember an episode where one of the characters does a Wolf of Wall Street parody, and the show focuses on how his pursuit of wealth alienates him from his friends and destroys his community. So it seems pretty good.
it also teaches kids to not snitch like that little bastard randall weems
legend of korra is liberal brainworms made into a show. Anyway all I now from captain planet is the "throw him out, he's got aids!" scene.
Yeah I never watched Korra, I was thinking it would be similar to ATLA. Nevermind that one then.
Honestly that scene and Jeff Goldblum voicing a character obsessed with money who has a large nose and a rats tail whose name is something to do with Vermin is what makes me suspect Captain Planet likely hasn't aged very well at all. But as a child, it definitely introduced me to ideas that I think set me up to be open to leftism.
Also if you want to really laugh look up the episode on the The Troubles. The IRA and the loyalists are trying to nuke Belfast and everything is solved because one guy from each side open a bakery together that I swear is Queer coded.
LoK is really fun if you want to see liberals set up an entire world of strawmen to push their ideology against and still somehow lose. It's also really just a slog and has a bunch of weird changes and failings considering how well they did on AtLA.
My kids know Peace, Land, and Bread well enough to ask for it by name. The new Magic School Bus is good too. A little lib on climate change because the can’t advocate for collective and direct action on a kid’s show, but it does discuss the brutalities of climate change very well
:squirtle-jam: Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff
And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger :squirtle-jam:
You'd need to go dig through the channel and find specific videos, but if you want something explicitly leftist, the YT channel NonCompete has a number of videos with puppets to explain leftist concepts. It's been a long time since I've watched any of them, so can't comment on how kid friendly the language might be, but this is the first thing that jumped into my head.
It is also most likely pretty far off from what you're looking for.
I mean I love the idea of explicitly leftist kids videos, just that I've got low expectations of finding anything like that.
Welp, then definitely see if NonCompete might be something the kid would like! THe puppet videos are pretty endearing, and there's definitely some clean jokes in there as well for adults (a horse being named "Gluey," a robot named "Krobotkin," stuff like that).
I love his puppet videos, and I feel like it fills a need for leftist content that targets younger viewers. We really should unironically be indoctrinating kids with communist ideas every opportunity we have.
Some of the Schoolhouse Rock episodes are absolute bangers. I still remember a bunch of the multiplication and grammar ones that my parents showed me when I was a kid. They were actually super helpful for me back when I was in school (I will never, ever, ever forget my multiples of 3 thanks to that catchy-ass song).
Some of them are really bad though! Like, REAL BAD. So pick and choose carefully.
Man, this is just what I needed to see today. Over lunch I’d been scrolling Twitter and then Reddit and it was such a depressing slog. Had just resigned myself to getting back to Les Payne’s book on Malcolm X.
Got lots of thoughts on how corrupted childhood is by crass consumerism in this capitalist hellhole country. But I’m in the middle of making a vegan chili I’ve wanted to make for a while.
The amount of unsettling bullshit propaganda aimed at kids, from cop worship to American Exceptionalism to constantly being rewarded with junk food to grooming for obedience, etc is just mind-blowing.
Thanks for this thread. Be back later to expound a little more.
My kids have seen the minimal tv or screen shows possible. Am looking for anything cool Left, cultivating a sense of questioning/community etc.
the lead character is POC, and even in 2021 I’m kinda surprised by how many shows still feel they need a white lead
Home is a great movie in its own right but I recommend it for this reason as well. I’m pretty sure Tip was the first black lead in a major studio animated film. In 2015
Heh… what’s that one all about?
My MIL was just here and was recalling how my kids had places all their cars and trucks in a formation.
She asked them , “what are they doing?”
They said, “they’re on strike !”
Pingu
maybe Avatar the last airbender, you could say its a little anti imperialist and it has POC leads
Maybe not its sequel The Legend of Korra...:brainworms:
